Hand in hand with the Spirit

catholic websites

2011-11-18T20:11:00.004+08:00

Its been a long while since anyone has blogged here..

I was reading and surfing the web for good sites to read, when a good friend of mine recommended quite a number of interesting catholic websites with interesting articles and resources.

Let me list out a few:

1. http://www.catholicculture.org/
2. http://lifeteen.com/
3. http://catholicexchange.com/
4. http://www.catholicintl.com/

Do take a look at each of them. You might be able to find something that relates to you.

Let me just share an article from Catholic Culture, titled Grace & Rationalization: Closely Linked. I studied Sociology as a major in university and theories are all I studied. Of course, I cant escape from rationalization, the basis of many things. When reading this article, it suddenly dawned on me how fine the line that separates grace and rationalization, yet also blurs the separation of both. It has put a new perspective in looking at how these 2 go parallel to each other, somehow. I have copied the article here, do take the time to read it. (:

Grace and Rationalization: Closely Linked
By Dr. Jeff Mirus November 17, 2011 8:28 PM

In studying the Catholic doctrine on grace, a fascinating connection emerges between rationalization and grace—or rather resistance to grace. I believe this explains quite a bit of what we instinctively sense about those who live and foster immoral lifestyles. It explains why those who are sensitive to these things always wonder what people are running away from when they come up with the usual inadequate reasons for their behavior.

The Catholic doctrine of grace holds first that grace is offered to all men, second that we are incapable of doing any good thing in a meritorious way without it, and third that we are nonetheless fully responsible if we do evil instead. Here’s how it works:
God gives us a grace which causes the intellect to recognize some good and the will to take an initial complacency in that good.

Recognizing this, we either initially resist the grace through the free exercise of our will, or we do not resist it but instead initially simply do nothing at all.
If we do nothing at all, the grace moves us toward the good and, utilizing the power of grace, our own wills freely choose the completion of the necessary good action in cooperation with the grace.

But if we initially resist, the grace that has been given fails in its effect, and we choose to sin. We are capable of doing this under our own power because sin is a deficiency, and man is capable of deficiency unaided by grace.

Now note what resistance to grace consists of. It consists of a turning of the will away from the good God has brought to our attention through grace. And part of this turning occurs when the will commands the intellect to cease to recognize the goodness it has apprehended.

Then the intellect serves the will either by a simple darkening or, more likely, by the exercise of its natural ability but in such a way as to satisfy the will’s command that what was momentarily apprehended as good is really not good at all, or at least not a necessary good. This, of course, is the beginning of rationalization.

If we are habitually properly responsive to grace, we learn to recognize this sort of rationalization in ourselves, either looking back on earlier situations, or in present moments of weakness. Those who are habitually responsive to grace also perceive it very clearly in those who are not. But it remains very difficult to convince people that they are rationalizing, for the whole point is that the will refuses to permit the intellect to admit the truth because the will has rebelled against this particular good.

I suspect our readers will see this, now that I’ve pointed it out: Rationalization is what the intellect does when the will commands it to turn away from some good that grace has enabled it to apprehend.

Love, angele

Unconditional Love

2011-03-15T11:48:00.003+08:00

In the secular world, there is a saying " There is no free lunch in the world"

which means nothing comes free in the world

For anything that we give out, we always expect something in return

But in the spiritual world that we are so blessed with..there is NO small print, no hidden T&Cs to obtain His love.

Now what more can we ask for? (:

Love, angele

More tips on how to be a facilitator =)

2011-02-27T04:49:00.003+08:00

Heeeaalloooooooooooooooooooooooww,

I miss all of you! Although I'm far far away...I'd still love to contribute =p I just went for a workshop and part of it gave some really useful tips on how to tackle common group situations.

As facilitators, we need to keep to time and try to complete the task at hand with our group, but what's more important is how you make your group mates feel after the activity. Would you want them going away saying "wow, I felt that was edifying" or "man I hate sharings! Why did I even come?!". It's very much to do with the process and how we respond to non-ideal situations. In reality...ideal situations hardly happen haha!

1. Let your group know...

Sharings will be more rewarding if there is participation from everyone.

No ideas are stupid.

It is purely each individual's perspective.

If an individual has nothing to share, then just share with the group that there is nothing in mind to share yet. =) Some people need more time to think about things.

Let everyone agree that the sharing is confidential.

2. LISTENING

This really is about observing non-verbal cues as well. If someone is not contributing, but you see that they are following the discussion, then leave them be. Some people like to contribute when they think they've got the right answer. If someone is not contributing and is not listening, don't pick on them!

*One technique to help with this is to ask them to chat in pairs. They do not have to share their answers with the whole group (let's say >5) if there isn't a need to. It's just to get them thinking and getting comfortable with talking about things. Some people are more willing to voice their own ideas with less risk of embarrassment.*

*another technique is to give your group a piece of paper each to jot down their thoughts. Give them enough time to mull over the question. Ask them to share just one of the many answers on their paper.*

Remember the aim is to get people comfortable.

3. TRUST

It is through our welcoming actions and NOT picking on them that we gain their trust. To prove that we are not there to be against them, or to cause any reason to put up their defences.

4. LEADERSHIP

Do know that as a leader, you are not there to do most of the work. If there are 5 people in the group then you will contribute your 1/5 of the work to make the group work. Let the rest know that the group needs their participation too. Setting up simple and agreed "ground rules" (Stuff that will help make the group work) as mentioned in point 1. will help to facilitate the group. Then you can remind them "Do you remember what we agreed on to make this group work?" , if they go wayward/disruptive.

If you get a talker -- someone who "knows it all" and likes to talk, giving no one else time to share their thoughts; teach the talker to be sensitive to the others.

*Technique 1: Cut in when he/she is taking a breath to say "Thank you (name) for your thoughts. (Another name) what do you think/feel about... " OR "Thank you (name), you have contributed a lot, let us hear from the other group mates on what they think."

*Technique 2: Give sweets each time to anyone who responds. If someone is getting all the sweets, jokingly say "Oh you need to give others a chance!"

If you have the peacemaker...someone who thinks disagreement is failure, then let your group that it is ok to disagree. Help the group develop simple rules for disagreeing. Conflict occurs naturally in a healthy group. It is when there are different views that we get a better perspective of things.

Keep checking that everyone is on board...on the same page. If not, check out what has happened to them. Where have they been? Are they feeling well?

Let each individual know that their contributions has impacted on the group. Eg: Thank you (name) and (name) for your sharing, we now have a better understanding of (topic). OR thank you (name) for cracking us up with your jokes, it made the group much livelier!

Remind everyone that each one has a responsibility of making the group work. =) Do not ever let anyone walk away saying "I knew it was a bad idea" or "see... I told you I was right" when things go wrong. If things are going wrong and they can see it, let them make a change!

Don't allow them to look at their sinking group and laugh.

If the current step is wrong, don't move on to the next step and let the problem build up.

5. EVALUATION

Do a self reflection. Did I help make everyone feel comfortable and welcomed? Did my group mates feel like they contributed? What could I have done better to facilitated the group?

If appropriate, how did we as a group do? What could have been done better?

Other tips to note...

As the leader or facilitator, take the question (or challenge) from the questioner, and post it to the whole group for ideas. Eg: "What do the rest of you think?" OR "What should we do with this?". Try not to answer it by yourself immediately.

Never ever comment "OH we tried that before, it didn't work!". Let the person explain his/her ideas fully before interjecting. Also, if it did not work...why did it not work? Explain to the rest. Could it be improved on?

Take home questions...

When you hear common phrases like "It's always the same people doing the work!" OR "They will not come even if we announce in the bulletin"...Why is it so?

Hope this would be helpful for all of you aspiring to be facilitators =) I found some of the suggestions very handy and useful!

God Bless,

Fran

God is Love

2011-01-03T22:26:00.002+08:00

Hey all, would like to share a very meaningful passage that spoke to me.
This is actually the first reading for tmr (Tues after Epiphany):

A reading from the first letter of St John (4:7-10)
God is love

My dear people,
let us love one another since love comes from God
and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Anyone who fails to love can never have known God,
because God is love.
God's love for us was revealed
when God sent into the world his only Son
so that we could have life through him;
this is the love I mean:
not our love for God,
but God's love for us when he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.

God bless,
Charlene

Advent Retreat 2010

2010-11-22T20:39:00.002+08:00

Savio Youth Ministry has organised an Advent Retreat catered to youths aged 15-25.

We warmly encourage all youths to participate in our retreat themed "Submission, Renewal and Service"

Where: Queen of Peace Church

When: 3 - 5 December 2010, 7pm

Speakers: Longinus and Br. Cornelius

You can register at our registration booth outside the canteen over the weekend or email savioyouthministry@gmail.com

angelfrances@gmail.com

charlene_siow@hotmail.com

Registration ends 28 Nov !

We hope to see you there !

God Bless,

Charlene

Sports meet @ ecp

2010-11-16T15:48:00.003+08:00

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ !

This Sunday, 21 Nov, will be our monthly sports meet but this time round, we'll be heading to ECP instead for cycling, roller blading and frisbee ! So come on down to ECP to join us this Sunday.
Meet in the cabin at 12pm or meet directly at ECP at 1pm (Macs)
See you there !

May God's peace be with you always.
God bless.

Bible Fridays

2010-10-08T11:16:00.003+08:00

The QOP Youth Ministry has put together a bible sharing session just for you !

This bible sharing session will be held every Friday for the rest of the year 2010 (:
We will pray, read and reflect on the bible passages of the friday readings (First reading, Responsorial Psalm and Gospel). You just need to bring a pen and paper to take down notes. Bibles will be provided but feel free to bring your own(:
Sessions will be conducted by our very best - Longinus. This is a very good experience for all of us to deepen our faith by knowing more about God, the Saints and their teachings.

When: Every Friday
Time: 8pm - 10pm
Where: QOP House of David Rm 3.2
Who: Youths

See you there !

For any enquiries, contact Gabriel Ho (justaboutfood@gmail.com) or Charlene (charlene_siow@hotmail.com)

God Bless all of you,
Charlene

Month of Mary

2010-10-08T11:10:00.003+08:00

For the month of October, the Youth Ministry will be having a devotion to our Blessed Mother every Saturday, 3.30pm - 5.30pm. We will be having a short session by Longinus on the mysteries of the Rosary then followed by the praying of the Holy Rosary.

It will be held every sat in Oct from 3.30-5.30pm, followed by evening mass.
House of David Room 3.2.

See you there! :D

Feel free to contact Gabriel Ho (justaboutfood@gmail.com) for any questions you may have.

Archdiocesan Youth Day 2010

2010-10-08T10:16:00.003+08:00

AYD 2010
PURITY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

Come join all Catholic youths and be part of this fun yet spiritual event ! You will definitely enjoy yourself ! It is an event not to be missed !

When: 26 November 2010, Friday
Time: 7pm-10pm
Where: Toa Payoh Sports hall
Cost: $10
Who: ALL youths & young adults (post confirmands)
* [confi 3s will attend the confi3 segment on 27 November 2010, Sat]

Please email us your registration at savioyouthministry@gmail.com or contact Angele/Charlene at angelefrances@gmail.com or charlene_siow@hotmail.com.
Please state your Name, Age, Contact info, i/c number and email by latest 31 October 2010(Registration Deadline).

Feel free to contact Angele or me if you have any questions (:
You can read more about it here: http://cayconline.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/411/

Thank You and God Bless,
Charlene

Mid Autumn Festival

2010-09-12T21:52:00.002+08:00

Savio Youth Ministry will be organising a mid autumn festival celebration for all Youths !

it will be a night of fun ! we will have games, mooncakes, lanterns and fire crackers ! feel free to contribute anything you like ! :D :D

When: 24 Sept, Fri
Time: 8pm - 1030pm
Where: QOP outside canteen

See you there !

God Bless,
Charlene

AYD 2010

2010-09-04T10:20:00.004+08:00

CALLING FOR AYD 2010 FACILITATORS !!

We are looking for facilitators for this year's Archdiocesan Youth Day on the 27 Nov ! Training will be provided ! (:

If interested/for more information, please contact Angele or email us at savioyouthministry@gmail.com

Love,
Charlene

YOUTH MASS

2010-09-01T08:26:00.004+08:00

YOUTH MASS IS BACK !
"God is my shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble - Psalm 46:1"

Join us !

5 September 2010, Sunday
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
10am - 1130am : 10am - 1030am Praise and Worship
1030am - 1130am Mass
Celebrant: Fr Timothy Yeo

See you there !! :D

God Bless,
Charlene

Prayer Requests

2010-06-17T09:18:00.003+08:00

Hi guys!

I thought of this idea of posting prayer requests on this blog. If any of you are going through difficult times, or you experiencing usual monday, tuesday, wednesday or thursday blues, feel free to post it up! Don't need to be too personal about it but you can always rant it here so we can all pray for you! :) So do feel free to post yeah?

Love,

Steph.

Harmony Games 2010

2010-06-16T18:53:00.004+08:00

Hi guys!

Mariana from Catholic Archdiocesan Centre invited us to an inter-religious sports event on the 26th June 2010 (Saturday morning), called Harmony Games 2010!

The purpose of Harmony Games is to build relationships between members of different faith communities through games and sports.
Each contingent need to have at least 30 pax, the more the merrier, and we'll be regroup with youths from other faiths.

Here are the details:

Harmony Games 2010
date: Saturday, 26 June 2010
location: Singapore Islamic Hub, 273 Braddell Rd
start time: 8.00am (contingent gather at the void deck of Singapore Islamic Hub)
end time: 11.30am
Guest of honor: Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan

For further details, please read your email on how to submit your participation and more information on the games that you will be playing. Thank you!

FAT FISH FRIDAY EXPLORES “WHY BE CATHOLIC?” WITH EAST DISTRICT YOUTHS

2010-06-16T18:35:00.011+08:00

Hello fellow YM-ERS!

Good day to you. Fat Fish Friday was held at Holy Trinity Church on 28 May 2010. For those of you who did not have the opportunity to come for this event, here's a write up by Charlene, to let you know more about the inspiring session by Gregory Chan.

FAT FISH FRIDAY EXPLORES “WHY BE CATHOLIC?” WITH EAST DISTRICT YOUTHS

By Charlene Siow

28 May 2010 – Over 150 youths and young adults from the East District turned up for Fat Fish Friday this evening. Fat Fish Friday, an East District Youth Event, was held for the first time in the Church of The Holy Trinity. It was themed “Why be Catholic? (I mean, God loves everyone right?)” with humorous and inspiring speaker, Br. Gregory Chan, who managed to successfully enlighten the hearts of the many who were present in the Parish Hall.

The casual and fun dialogue session welcomed youths and young adults from all walks of life, for an evening of food, fellowship, praise, fun and most importantly, God. The air conditioned hall was dimly lit with candles, creating a ‘cafe-like’ atmosphere.

Singing their hearts out, the Christus Dominus Choir started and ended the event with a few songs where the participants joined in and sang along. Also, during the short break, participants helped themselves with a variety of finger food, and drinks.

Following up on last year’s East District Youth Rally held at C.H.I.J Katong Primary, Fat Fish Friday focuses on youths and young adults aged 17 – 35. This year, the event is of a smaller scale and covers more specific topics relating to youths of the specific age group.

Planning since January, the dedicated and talented organising team were made up of representatives from CAYC and the various Churches in the East District – Church of the Holy Trinity, Holy Family, St Stephen, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace.

During these 5 months, the organising team were focused on working out an enticing programme which strongly focuses on the theme. Taking each detail into consideration and with such an exciting programme catered to the youths, it is no wonder why there was such an overwhelming response to the event.

The event covered a number of insightful and relevant topics relating to the Catholic Faith and ended off with the importance of having a Catholic Community. Youths participated actively and shared their personal experiences in the discussions led by Br. Gregory Chan.

On a whole, the many friendships made and the engaging responses from participants proved the event successful. Being only the first Fat Fish Friday, the organising committee is looking forward to more Fat Fish Fridays in the coming years.

When interviewed, Priscilla Chong, 19, a Youth Ministry Member of Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace found the event interactive and added – “The whole event was very enlightening as it tells us things that we should know as a Catholic. It helps us to look at our religion from a different point of view.”

Stephanie Yap, 19, also added “This session has been very useful to me as it gave me the opportunity to learn more about my faith and cleared some of the doubts I had. The most interesting thing is that they've made it into a dialogue session where it's free and easy to voice your opinions. The speaker's both friendly and inspiring, hence he was able to captivate the audience's attention on the topics he discussed. All in all, I wouldn't mind to go for future sessions like this.”

Evangelization

2009-08-02T16:45:00.000+08:00

Today Ben and Fran gave a session on Evangelisation - with regards to a talk they attended a few Fridays ago about Faith.. (I cant rem the exact title)
I actually went to google on the definition of 'evangelization' itself.

And it says:

Evangelization means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel
itself.
(This is the definition for Evangelization used by the Church from the writings of Pope Paul VI - On Evangelization in the Modern World [Evangelii
Nuntiandi], no. 18, 1975.)

I used to think that to evangelize is something not done by the laity, but only by the religious priests, brothers and nuns. It's like something that needs to have authority to perform on other people. St Francis of Assisi once quoted - 'Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words'. This further confirmed for me then that it wasnt something common people like us could do, rather you have to be trained for it officially.

Not only that, evangelization was a term that I associated more with the non-Catholics, put more simply - the Protestants. Its always seems that its their innate nature to go out into the streets handing out flyers and telling strangers how good God is. And I always found these people intimidating.

Apparently I was wrong, evangelization does not only consists of preaching the word of God to other people. but it also involves living the Christian faith and doing good to others in your own way. As how Pope Paul IV puts it. " Evangelization is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize."

As I googled more into this topic, I came across a phrase ' New Evangelization', and it was coined by Pope John Paul II, that in this new age and century, evangelization is no longer just a task performed by the religious brothers and sisters, but also by the congregation.

In The Mission of the Redeemer, he wrote [Redemptoris Missio], “the
moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new
evangelization and to the mission ad gentes. No believer in Christ, no
institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all
peoples.”

And this reminds me of a Peanuts cartoon/comic strip I saw from one catholic blog that I stumbled onto cos i was googling about comic strips for a cathechism class about family.

This defensiveness can be seen in many of us - Catholics today, especially when we meet someone who knows more about our own religion, or is more out-spoken about Christianity/Catholicism. We think we know everything, yet we get stumped at questions/views posed to us. But after all that, it just goes to show that we take our religion for granted.

But now, the question is, have we shown that we are good Christians through our actions and the words that we say. Or are we only Christians on Sundays? That was the question posed to us during the session today, and that got me thinking. We take for granted that there is always someone who will start the ball rolling, but the irony is.. everyone is waiting for that someone to take the first step. So then, what exactly is the thing that holds us back from being Christians to others, from evangelizing to others about Christ's love for us? What are we waiting for anyway?

What is your take on this? Pls do comment. (:

Love, angele

Come & Be Re-Charged!

2009-07-13T18:41:00.002+08:00

Deacon Harold from Portland, Oregon is regularly featured on the globally broadcasted Eternal Word Television Network – EWTN. Many of his talks onMale Spirituality, Family & The Eucharist have been received with rave reviews globally.

He has a talk in OLPS this Sat!

Topic: Youth As Warriors Of The Faith

Venue: St. John-Luke Room (Level 2)

There are also other talks available, just click on the poster!

If you are interested to listen to his talk, do contact Marlene @ 96420214. (:

Addressing the Pastoral Needs of the Catechist

2009-06-12T14:48:00.003+08:00

by Br Collin Wee
30 May 09 @ CAEC

What would you say the synopsis of a talk titled like that could be? I went thinking I was going to learn a thing or 2 about how to connect with teens, and help shepherd them through life’s problems. However, I was surprised to find out that Br. Collin would be talking about suicide instead! Haha reminds me of my counseling days =p But before we go into the details…

Fran and I were the 2 earliest participants. So we did a really nice thing, we helped Br Collin compile and distribute his handouts to the other participants. What a way to start a beautiful morning, in service of others =)

The talk started with us doing a questionnaire to get us thinking about how we viewed suicide. Br Collin also gave us some background to how people viewed suicide in the past. Not too long ago in the church, a catholic victim’s body had to stay outside at his own funeral mass because of the nature of the mortal sin. The police used to handcuff dead bodies of people who had committed suicide because it too was a crime. Lol sounds a bit crazy? Mind you that was the practice just under 50 years ago.

Thankfully, views on suicide are changing to become more accepting. Accepting of what? Namely that suicide is only the surface of a much deeper and longer problem and it is less a crime and a mortal sin (not that it isn’t), than it is more of a medical and psychological state that people are in which causes them to commit the act. A simple way of understanding this is like, no one really steals because he thinks its right, he is usually driven by a need or has something like an addiction/impulse to steal.

Similarly, people who contemplate suicide and finally commit the act are often saddled with so many problems, that they use suicide as a final means to get rid of them forever. All studies have shown - and we know cos we are also human beings - that people DO NOT want to kill themselves, they only want to kill the problem. Tragically, the former is always implicated in the latter.

Even though on an institutional (church and society) level we are more understanding of the problem now, we still have to work on our acceptance of it on a personal level. That’s the only way to healing. Suicide is a taboo issue, especially when someone close is a victim of it. Very few people will openly talk about it even with their family and close friends. However, reconciliation can only come about if we let our wounds be mended through communication, both with others and with God. If not, like a physical wound, it may fester inside and decay our minds and souls.

There were so many things that were covered at the talk about how do we identify people who may be suicidal, how should we go about helping them, what are the dos and don’ts. Listing them down here won’t be able to convey the appropriate background meanings and nuances, so I’ll just share the summary of what I took away as the right disposition and attitude when working with others on this issue.

1. Every human creature is a blessed creation of God, and bears his likeness. It is from the fundamental dignity of each human person that we try and help them to treasure and find meaning in their lives.

2. Suicide isn’t the problem; it is the tip of the quick-fix method to solve the real problems.

3. Engaging a suicidal person in a sincere and dignified way is the best way to help.

4. Listen, listen and listen to him. Never judge, but suggest helpful advice in a Christ-like manner.

5. Find out the underlying problem by getting to know him and gaining his trust.

6. Apply a wholesome approach to therapy. Work with the person in body, mind and soul, together with person, family and friends, including where necessary faith, religion and society.

7. Let God work through you, just place yourself and your charge in his care. Pray, pray and pray.

It was truly a morning filled with touching moments where Br Collin shared his personal encounters with many teens he has helped over his 27 years as a counselor; the little and huge differences he’s made in their lives. It was also a hilarious morning peppered with humour as he shared joke after joke. Here’s one based on a true story.

A man from IMH had threatened to jump off the 6th story at a HDB block one morning. Many people were at the scene and police and civil defense personnel had also arrived. All of them were unable to coax him off the parapet of the floor. In Bro Collin’s animated pose and tone, ‘I’m going to jump, I warn you ah, I’m going to jump. All of you don’t come near me, you all treat me like that, I don’t want to stay with you anymore.’ After many hours, one of his friends, also from IMH, happened to walk by and saw what was happening. He nonchalantly walked to the base of the block and asked his friend what he was up to. The protagonist repeated the words he told everyone else. His friend replied, ‘Aiyah you want to jump from 6th floor? Who cannot? I also can, everyone here also can. Why don’t you try coming down here then jumping up there instead?’ Whereupon his friend promptly got of the ledge, took the lift down to the first floor and was rescued.

Hahahaha!! I was laughing my bum out of the chair! It truly takes a crazy person to understand another crazy person sometimes. Fran thoroughly agrees! =p

So after the session ended, we went over to IHM and said our rosary for the YM and all of you. The church was beautiful and peaceful. Only the 2 of us were there, and the quietness was truly blessed.

And the day didn’t end there just yet, for there was something even more wonderful, ecstatic and breathtaking to come! But, that is a story for another time =)

Love,
Ben

2009-04-28T23:25:00.003+08:00

Here are the 2 songs that you can practice for before coming to our Worship Workshop =) Do reflect your attendance on facebook thanks.

My All in All

Verse 1

E B C#m
You are my strength when I am weak

G#m A
You are the treasure that I seek

B E B7
You are my all in all

E B C#m
Seeking You as a precious jewel

G#m A
Lord to give up I’d be a fool,

B E B7
You are my all in all

Chorus

E B C#m G#m A B E B7
Je - sus, Lamb of God, worthy is Your Name

E B C#m G#m A B E B7
Je - sus, Lamb of God, worthy is Your Name

Verse 2

E B C#m
Taking my sin, my cross, my shame

G#m A
Rising again I bless Your Name

B E B7
You are my all in all

E B C#m
When I fall down You pick me up

G#m A
When I am dry You fill my cup

B E B7
You are my all in all

Shout To The Lord
Darlene Zschech

Verse 1
A E/G#
My Jesus my saviour

F#m7 E D
Lord there is none like You

A/C# D A
All of my days I want to praise

G D/F# E
The wonders of Your migh-ty love

Verse 2
A E/G#
My comfort my shelter

F#m E D
Tower of refuge and strength

A/C# D A
Let every breath all that I am

G D/F# E
Never cease to wor-ship You

Chorus
A F#m D E
Shout to the Lord all the earth let us sing

A F#m D E
Power and majesty praise to the King

F#m D
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar

E D E
At the sound of your name

A F#m D E
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands

A F#m D E
Forever I love You forever I stand

F#m D E A
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You

Fran

Youth Mass

2009-04-10T19:39:00.002+08:00

It's our very first Youth mass.. in goodness knows how many years!!!

We are so blessed to have a band from Saccre Youth to help us with Praise & Worship!!!

And of cos, Fr Simon to celebrate mass for us!

All is invited!! Do come and join us!!!

Food For Thought

2009-04-04T12:26:00.004+08:00

JOB vs MINISTRY

Some people have a JOB in the church;
others involve themselves in a MINISTRY.

What is the difference?

If you are doing it just because no one else will, it's a JOB.
If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it's a MINISTRY.

If you quit because somebody critized you, it was a JOB.
If you keep on serving, it's a MINISTRY.

If you'll do it only as it does not interfere with your other activities, it's a JOB.
If you are committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it's a MINISTRY.

If you quit because no one praised you or thanked you, it was a JOB.
If you stay with it even though nobody recognizes your efforts, it is a MINISTRY.

It's hard to get excited about a JOB.
It's almost impossible not to be excited about a MINISTRY.

If our concern is success, it's a JOB.
If our concern is faithfulness, it's a MINISTRY.

An average church is filled with people doing JOBs.
A great and growing church is filled with people involved in MINISTRY.

Where do we fit in? What about us?

If God calls you to a MINISTRY, don't treat it like a JOB.
If you have a JOB, give it up and find a MINSTRY.
God does not want us feeling stuck with a JOB,but excited and faithful to Him in a MINISTRY.

===========
So many times I neglect the real purpose of why I continue to serve esp when times seem so tough; I cant see the light. But yet, after reading this old email that I received 2 years ago, suddenly makes sense especially now when i am more involved.

Hope this appeals to you as much as it did for me. (:

Hugs, angele

Day of Recollection (DOR) for YM

2009-03-23T19:36:00.006+08:00

28 Feb 2009, Saturday was the day of our DOR. This is my sharing on what I learnt that day. I found it totally useful =) Thank you Eugene! (theres the urge to call u brother still haha.)

Activity 1: Silent amazing race

Rules: No talking unless instructed to do so.

Only the leader for that station is allowed to read out the instructions.

Station 1: Walk to ECP (mind you we were at QOP!) in a single file and each to pick up a handful of sand and a seashell.

My thoughts: Oh man...just when I'm getting all hyped up, he makes me play this game which has no talking...its rarely that i have so much energy in me...now i gotta supress it -_-

Anws, i can live without talking. Lalala..oh wow the nice warm sun after coming out of that freezing cold room. (after walking for 10 mins)...crap its damn hot...oh how nice the clouds r moving to give me some shade =) oh now got some wind =) wow God is good =p he listens to my complains haha! Thank you! k i should stop complaining...

now that we are reaching ECP..what were we supposed to do again? Oh i only rem something bout everyone having a handful of sand. Oh phew, ben rems the seashells. ok sign language isnt tt effective. Anw what i learnt here was tt after a long journey, thru all the toils n snares =p we forget our Mission! But no worries, that's y we travel in a group, each helps to rem different stuff. We need reminders every once in a while =)

Station 2: Going to Holy Family Adoration rm

My tots: Wow..i had catechism lessons for 2 whole years in holy family n I've never been into the adoration room! Tsktsk, this just reflects my longing for my wanting to be in God's presence. I'm ashamed.

(Damien joins us at holy fam with his car)

Station 3: Find the lamb with the 7 seals, where the shamrock resides, by bus.

We never guessed the right place(holy trin)...we got stuck at st pats. We are tired n lost! Can we pls go back! lets call eugene...can we skip to station 5 (which is QOP)? due to time constrains..yes =) we managed to skip station 3n4.

Station 5: Split into groups of 2 or 3. Able to talk to own group mates. Take a bus back to QOP.

My tots: omg its finally over! Ah who cares bout the toking...n the bus! Let's take damiens car!

BIG LESSON: *I sold my FREE WILL for convenience, saving face..etc*

Why? We compromised so many rules, taking the car, talking to each other in the end ..etc. Why did I take the car? Caz I was tired and everyone was going to take the car. Why did I not tell my grp to not take his car? Caz I tot its ending..plus its just a game..we dun have to stick to the rules..or more like caz i knew everyone wanted to take the car and objecting would be so malu. Why did I talk to the other grp? caz we were in the same car n i did not want to seem as if i was such a sticker for rules.

My resolution: Next time when making decisions, I should look deep into the real reason of why I'm choosing that. Is it out of convenience? (usual thinking: no harm breaking stupid rules with no consequences right?) even when I know it is wrong.

Activity 2: Pick fotos that relate to me

http://www.herronisland.org/home/geoduck/Blood....jpg this isnt the exact picture but same meaning...It represents me falling down and getting dirty and hurt.

http://www.naturalperson.com/New%20Website/5%20Advance/Adv%20Site%20Pics/Red%20Pill%20Hand.jpg pill in hand. I have my pride, I hate eating med or going to doc, just like how I dislike receiving external help. I try to do everything on my own first. But I realised, for a speedy recovery (from my falls), I should humbly accept this external help.

http://www.michigan.gov/images/mdch/hands_in_sand_243183_7.jpg (if u go search goolge for "hands" you will find my hands doing many things. Our pair of hands have served us well, they can do millions of things. What more if we be humble and work together. We would be able to acheive 7X 70 X 70 million. =) Each hand has a different talent. Isn't that beautiful.

http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1433/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1433R-102025.jpg If only I kept quiet more often and tried listening to God. I would be able to c the beauty in everything around me http://media.photobucket.com/image/meditation%2Bhands/Xina1/Fantasy/l_8861f96a51c72e77950a1774b698be-2.jpg I know God loves me =)

Activity 3: The Seven Sacraments

Reconciliation: We can do this in our daily lives when we allow forgiveness to happen. Not only do we have to forgive others, we should let others forgive us...and let us forgive ourselves. Reconciliation is the reuniting of 2 parties, to have a closer relationship.

Eucharist: Jesus sacrificed himself to allow others to live. Have I sacrificed anything to help others live better? Eg: Sacrifice my time to listen to other people's complains, so that they know and feel that other pple care for them. Hence they feel more like living.

Holy Orders: A priest or nun?! I do not have to be any of those to live this our in my life. I can spread the word of God to others in my daily life! If people do not go to God, I can bring God to them. =)

Marriage: This seems so far away..I'm still studying...but guess wad, Marriage is about commitment. Commitment to love others thru thick and thin. I can love all my YM members =) even though we do dumb things and get angry over stuff...Unconditional love means that there are no "if's". There is no "if you were good, or if you did not have AIDS, or if you did not smoke, then I would love you." NO! I love you no matter what you do, or have or are. =) Ez to say..hard to do...but with God, nothing is impossible =)

Anointing the sick: Caring for people when they are in need of SOMEONE, not something. To be there for the person. No early thing (ipod, car, house..etc) can or will console a dying person. What they need is to know that someone is there with them, and they are not alone. Do not be afraid.

Confirmation: The bishop says "Be sealed with the Holy Spirit" and in the past, they give you a tight slap!(WAKE UP!) We are to be soldiers for Christ! no more babies drinking milk. Soldiers means we defend and protect. We fight for what is right! Has anyone insulted your friend and you did not say anything to defend him/her? How about ur religion? Do you feel unprepared or ill armed with knowlege? For me honestly...yes. My plan =) is to go for more courses and read more to learn more n more...never ending amt of learning.

Baptism: We are to give 3 promises which lead us into 3 missions

3 promises are Poverty (poverty of spirit meaning that we depend solely on God), Chastity (in Latin it also means love...to love only God) and Obedience (listen to God, willingly, becaz you love Him, not becaz u are afraid to go to hell)

3 missions: Priestly (bring Jesus to people)

Prophetic (the voice that dares to speak the truth)

Kingly (we are heirs to God's Kingdom, let us BE a good example)

In these 7 sacraments, we have to bring God to ourselves first before we can bring them to others. How do I love others if I do not know what loving myself is?

BIG question to ask yourself: Who owns YM?

if your answer is WE DO! the answer is wrong/insufficient. The correct answer is I DO!

When we say "we" there is this idea that if I do not do xyz, someone can cover for me. Hence it is not a 100% commitement from each person. If you say "I" then there is a 100% commitment for each person! so imagine how much more powerful we are =) 10X100=1000% ! Do not underestimate yourself and what God can make you become. God takes the weak to shame the strong.

After all this, what are you going to do about yourself? What are you lacking that could be improved? How can this improvement help YM? What is YM lacking? How can I improve that?

God's answers to your problems

2009-03-07T00:26:00.004+08:00

How many times have we said "I cant..." and gave up on ourselves?
How many times have we had the intention to run away from our problems?

I have.

It's amazing how the bible has so much enouraging words for me, that everytime I feel horrid, like giving up. When I feel myself falling backwards into a deep valley, there always seems to be a pair of hands that grabs me and pulls me up again.

And tt, I know is You, Lord.
Thank you for always being there, for never letting me go, no matter what I do. (:

I hope some of these will answer your problems too, like how it answered mine.

You say: 'It's impossible'
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say: 'I'm too tired'
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: 'Nobody really loves me'
God says: I love you (John 3:1 6 & John 3:34)

You say: 'I can't go on'
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: 'I can't figure things out'
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: 'I can't do it'
God says: You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

You say: 'I'm not able'
God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it'
God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )

You say: 'I can't forgive myself'
God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: 'I can't manage'
God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say: 'I'm afraid'
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated'
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say: 'I'm not smart enough'
God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: 'I feel all alone'
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Hugs, angele

St. Paul's msg

2009-02-10T16:47:00.004+08:00

Do you remember last Sunday's 2nd reading?

1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23

Brothers and sisters:If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,for an obligation has been imposed on me,and woe to me if I do not preach it!If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.What then is my recompense?That, when I preach,I offer the gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

I didnt understand it at first, but after Fr. Ambrose Vaz explained St. Paul's msg...which was, "The revelation of God's justice; the fact that God has already reconciled humankind in himself in death and resurrection of His Son." Meaning, we don't need to earn our salvation! It is given to us! Hence the reason for doing good should not be because we are afraid to go to hell, or because we wana earn a place in heaven. It's because we are rejoicing and we want to share this joy with everyone else!

The analogy Fr. Ambrose gave was...imagine I gave you a million dollars. I come to tell you that I have put the million dollars into your bank. You can 1. not believe me, and do not even bother going to the bank to take a look or 2. believe me and be very super happy and go to the bank to check it out. However you cannot be proud of this money because you did not earn it, but can only be thankful. Similarly with St. Paul when he said "this is no reason for me to boast", caz whatever he preaches is not from his own intellect but from God.

"woe to me if I do not preach it!" in our words...Im so happy I need to share this news with everyone! if not someone ought to smack me on my head!

"If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship." Meaning, if St. Paul preaches willingly, then thats his extra reward..he gets joy for preaching the good news. If unwillingly, then preaching is just like a job.

"What then is my recompense?That, when I preach,I offer the gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel." So what does St. Paul get for preaching? He doesn't want to be paid because that would seem like he is preaching to earn money. It would be suspicious...like..is his ulterior motive to earn money for himself? NO! He removes all these suspicion, by not collecting money so everyone will know that whatever he preaches is not for himself, but for God.

Going back to St. Paul's main msg that is green above, "The revelation of God's justice.." Since all our sins have been reconciled thanks to Jesus, God's justice is not referring to punishment. It is a restorative justice. Hence purgatory is not a punishment, it is to restore our soul, to make us whole again. =) Isn't that great?! All this while I was fearing terrible things that did not even exist haha!To me, purgatory now seems like a choice, for me to cleanse myself and make me whole again =) before I go into heaven to meet God.

Anw, just to let you know, I was totally lost last Sunday during Mass, caz I din understand. Luckily on every Monday, there is an Introduction to St. Paul and his letters @OLPS 8pm (open to anyone who is interested). It's very interesting and enlightening. Fr. Ambrose explains really well. Thank you Fr. Ambrose!

Veil

2009-01-29T10:23:00.002+08:00

Did anyone read the last book of the Chronicles of Narnia? I remember vaguely, somewhere in the last few chapters, CS Lewis mentioned that when they entered the new world, everything seemed the same just much brighter and fuller in colour. As if their whole lives the were looking through a veil.
I was reminded of this because this morning I was heading to my brother's room to study at his table. His room faces the East where the sun rises. His windows (those with the tainted sunex thingy) were closed. From inside the room, it seemed like the sky was dull and it looked as if it would rain in the afternoon. Anws, I opened the windows n man, was I blinded! It was super duper bright outside la! Those are some powerfully tainted sunex..Oh and plus after I opened those windows, there were sunbirds singing! (Felt like a fairy tale..I should have started singing and then those birds could help me with my housework haha!)

Then it came to my mind that if i took this as an analogy,life could seem so dull and sad here on earth if our mind was wrapped with worries, unhappiness and sin. If only that veil of darkness could be taken away, we could have such a different approach to life.
I guess that's what He was trying to point out to me, caz during my exam periods I am totally drapped with this veil of darkness haha!You should understand what I mean if you saw me.. I am filled with frustration, worries, not forgetting how grouchy I can get =p
I was ever told by frens "how can you let exams get to you like that? Is it worth causing everyone around you to be miserable as you are just over that dumb exam?" Well, easy for her to say, wait till its her exam haha! But true true I get her point, its not worth. I've been trying to be less miserable...if you saw me last year during an exam period..I dun think you would want to see me at all haha! This year, I'm not that grouchy..just looking stressed =p

To everyone out there who feels like they got a dark (dun mention heavy) veil over you, I challenge you to take a more optimistic approach to life together with me =) Stop looking at the problem and work on the solution WITH JOY (not frustration, anger, complains and all those curses haha!)

Love,
Fran

Be Careful!

2009-01-21T13:16:00.003+08:00

Another nice story that I wana share =) from Our Daily Bread, Reflections for the New Year (20 Jan)

Several Years ago my wife Carolyn and I were hiking on Mount Rainier in Washington when we came to a swollen, glacial stream. Someone had flattened one side of a log and dropped it across the river to form a crude bridge, but there was no handrail and the log was slippery.

The prospect of walking on the wet log was frightening, and Carolyn didn't want to cross. But she found the courage, and slowly, carefully she inched her way to the other side.

On the way back we had to walk on the same log, and she did so with the same care. "Are you afraid?" I asked. "Of course!" she replied, "That's what keeps me safe." Again, fully aware of the danger, she made her way to safety.

Much of life poses moral danger for us. We should never assume in any situation that we're incapable of falling. "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" 1 Corinthians 10:12. Given the opportunity and circumstances, any of us are capable of falling into any sin. To believe otherwise is sheer folly.

We must watch and pray and arm ourselves for every occasion by putting our total trust in God (Ephesians 6:13). "God is faithful" (1Corinthians 10:13), and He will give us the strength to keep from falling.

Fran =p

Why Go to Church?

2009-01-20T21:45:00.002+08:00

Taken from Our Daily Bread Reflections for the New Year
In a letter to the editor of a British newspaper, a man complained that he saw no sense in going to church every Sunday. "I have been attending services quite regularly for the past 30 years" he wrote, "and during that time...I have listened to no less than 3000 sermons. But to my consternation, I discover I cannot remember a single one of them. I wonder if a minister's time might be more profitable spent on something else."
That letter sparked many responses. One, however, was the clincher: "I have been married for 30 years. During that time I have eaten 32 850 meals - mostly of my wife;s cooking. Suddenly I have discovered that I canoot remember the menu of a single meal. And yet, I received nourishment from every one of them. I have the distinct impression that without them I would have starved to death long ago."
The Bible assumes the importance of going to church, and the only admonition to do so appears in the context of the danger of forsaking the practice (Hebrews 10:25). We need help to keep our faith and hope from wavering (v.23), and to love and do good works (v.24). Just as physical food keeps us alive and strong, so alsot he spiritual nourishment of teaching and fellowship are necessary for our survival.

Hebrews 10:24-25
Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works. Do not absent yourself from your own assemblies, as some do, but encourage each other; the more so as you see the Day drawing near.

-Fran- =)Just tot this was very interesting n wanted to share it!=)

The Dance of Guidance

2009-01-14T14:03:00.003+08:00

I received a beautiful email on guidance. Here it is =)

G U I D A N C E
***************
Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.

I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.

The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music.

One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.

It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.

When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God, "u" and "i" dance." God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life.

Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday. May you abide in God, as God abides in you.

Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.

God bless
Ben

The Breath of Life

2009-01-14T09:57:00.001+08:00

Just something interesting that I read. (:

Catholics believe the things of creation are a testament to God’s word. Any physical thing I do — the scratching of my pen across this paper — is God speaking to me.

One gateway to this sense of the sacredness of physical things is our breathing. We are sometimes conscious of our heartbeats but rarely of our breathing. Just as we breathe, unaware, so God works in human lives. Without conscious thought we inhale and exhale. From the slap after birth that got us started until the last dying breath, all is done for us.

Life is God’s gift.

We so often think that God lives “up there” or “out there,” overlooking the presence of God “in here.” We may seek God by seeing, hearing, feeling, and especially breathing.

Genesis tells us,“Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.”

Breathing, an intimate and holy physical action, is a perfect symbol of God’s presence — quietly at work, always here, keeping us alive. God’s place within me is like that rising breath. The power that lies in breathing is a constant reminder that God is always quietly present.

Like all else, breathing is a gift that requires thanksgiving. Without it, I die physically; without God’s tender loving breath, I die spiritually.

Passage after passage in the Bible suggests that attention to breathing is one of the best ways to listen to God. Samuel responded to the whisper of his name in the night, saying, “Here am I.” God’s grace is in the breath that formed us as living souls and created our own breath, through which we can learn to feel God’s presence. “Breathe on me, oh breath of God,” a 19th century hymnist wrote.

St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote, “For it is not knowing a great deal that satiates and satisfies the soul, but feeling and savoring things intimately.” God breathes quietly these days, at times so softly it is hard to hear above the noise of our world. We have to be utterly quiet in order to hear the still, small voice of the All in All.

One of the most difficult things to learn in the spiritual search is this need for doing nothing, of merely being. We are all made in God's image — our true selves exist deep within and require only the gentlest uncovering.

The atmosphere is charged with God's presence. Inhale God as you inhale the air.

Breathing expresses the presence of God, and we must seek God in silence, in the everyday, in the way our breathing goes on moment by moment, hour by hour, decade by decade.

In our busy lives, it seems impossible to follow the directive, "Be still and know that I am God."

Cheers, angele

What has shit got to do with anything? from an Environmental Engineer's perspective

2009-01-08T17:47:00.004+08:00

Hi everyone! I’m here to share a Franciscan moment I had the other day. A Franciscan moment means something like a light bulb moment which suddenly occurs to you and which is relevant to our faith =)

I am an environmental engineer and part of what I learn is dealing with shit. Not the shit that comes from your boss, or work, or demanding and mean people you serve, I do mean the shit that comes from your backside, literally. I know some of you might be turned off at this point, it’s true not many people are enamoured about shit, can’t blame you but if you’re interested to hear what I have to say, read on! haha =p

Ever wonder where all that shit flushed down the toilet goes? There are a few ways to deal with wastewater.

1. The most heck care way is just to dump it into the river or sea. In which case it’ll kill all the fish there, stink the place to hell, and generally make everyone in the surrounding area sick and depressed.

2. The next way is to filter out whatever shit you can from the water with primitive means, leave it to dry a bit and then burn all of it in a fire. In which case, most of the time the air gets quite polluted and you become a contributor to global warming.

3. The last way is to send it to a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). In the treatment process at a WWTP, the wastewater is poured into a large basin where bacteria are allowed to consume most of the shit. After a few days, the sludge (this term refers to the bacteria and remaining waste left) will collect at the bottom of the tank and can be removed.

The sludge is then put into a digester where the shit is allowed to digest further to produce methane gas (which is a good fuel for burning). After the digestion is finished, what is left is a lump of black stuff, which can then be used to make fertilizer for your plants and crops. Tada!

What occurred to me and I want to share with you today is this. Sometimes, life can be quite shitty. Your school, your work, your relationships, your social life, and many other things can be very tough and get you down. But while life may seem unfair, there are a few ways you can deal with it.

1. The most heck care way is not to do anything about your problems. Just dump them by the roadside and hope someone else will come along to clear your rubbish for you. More likely, your problems will kill your relationships, grow stinker each day, and make your life more miserable than ever.

2. The next way is to try and siam your problems and take the quick way out. Try and filter through them as fast as possible, if an opportunity comes to pass the problem on to someone else, do it. If you see a quick fix method use it, don’t worry that it contributes to a bigger problem elsewhere, that’s for other people to deal with.

3. Lastly, you could look through your problems and sort them out in a careful and meticulous way, and send them to a ‘what would Jesus do’ facility (WWJD). In the treatment process at a WWJD, the shitty problems are poured into the lap of God in prayer. ‘Come to me all you who are weary and overburdened, and I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11:28.

Your guardian angel helps you sort out the various problems and carries them to God. One by one the problems are consumed by the love of God. ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ John 16:33.

After a few days, the whirlpool of feelings of guilt, despair, anger and loneliness settle to the bottom of your heart and can be removed. ‘Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled? I will put my hope in God, and once again I will praise him, my saviour and my God.’ Psalm 42:11

They can then be put into a thought digester, where you reflect on what went wrong in your life, what caused you to feel so shitty, how God was with you all those times; the things you learnt through those shitty circumstances, what you gained from them and how they helped you improve yourself, how can you proceed on from here and tackle your problems with trust in God. Suddenly when the digestion is complete, a shining gold mass remains, purified and ready to be a fertilizer in other people’s lives. Tada! ‘But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.’ Job 23:10

Moral of the Story: Not all shit needs to remain as shit, consult with God and He will be able to transform it into nourishment for you =)

This reflection is dedicated to God and Fran, both of whom inspired it out of nowhere haha! Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this piece as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

Love,
Ben

Epiphany! & Day of Recollection for catechists

2009-01-06T18:25:00.002+08:00

Something occurred to me while reflecting on Sunday’s readings on the feast of the Epiphany. Ever wondered how gift-giving got its roots during Christmas? I’m guessing it probably started cos of the 3 Magi haha. But guess what? The biggest gift at Christmas was actually given by God, His only Son Jesus. ‘God became Man’ and the everlasting effect of that present is eternal life for all of us.

Essentially that was Fr Erbin’s message for all of us at an inspiring ‘Day of Recollection’ for the QoP and St Mike’s catechists, ‘God became Man’.

As volunteer workers in church, we encounter difficulties all the time. We face rejections and disappointments; we have to put up with unresponsiveness, inactivity or lack of appreciation from the people we serve; sometimes we also start questioning whether what we’re doing is the right thing for us. As doubts and fears increase in us, our hopes slowly disappoint.

How true this is for me. Many times after class, I always have nagging worries assailing me.

‘Did I talk too much today?’ ‘How come some of the kids looked so sian when we did the activities?’ ‘I think I’m such a failure and so unqualified to teach’ ‘I feel like I have to live up to so many people’s expectations, my students, my facilitators, my big boss JC’ ‘Ah, it’s so tiring being a teacher and preparing for classes, I just want to give it up.’ Adapted from Chronicles of the Agonies of a Catechist by Ben =)

But there is a hope that does not disappoint. Our faith is unique because ‘God became Man’ for us, and this is a hope and a promise that can never be broken. ‘Man will live forever more, because of Christmas day’. There’s the reason for our hope. God has already come to us and showed us the way to eternal happiness. The big HOPE comes from God, not from the circumstances in the world around us.

Have you fallen in love before? Isn’t it a wonderful feeling? God became Man cos he fell in love with us since the very first day he created us, and he’s never stopped loving us. All of us must have fallen in love with God at some point in our lives too. Or we won’t be still in church, and helping others to love God too.

Sometimes when troubles come, and our hopes look dim, it’s time for us to reignite the flames of love. ‘Fan the gift of faith into a flame’ as St Paul would say. Rediscover the first love that we had for God, remember the feeling that we had when we first fell in love. Be intimate with God; pray and dialogue with him and we can revive the hope in us. Let our hearts of stone become flesh once more. When we have done that, we are ready to be catechists again.

Our job as catechists is to ‘Awaken the Heart of a young person to Jesus’. We need to be witnesses, more than just teachers. Jesus was a great teacher some may say, but his unconditional love was witnessed in the end through dying on the cross for us. Before anyone listens to what we have to say, they like to see how we act first. Therefore, our love for God must inflame us like the seraphim. When our kids see that, they will also want to follow and love God of their own accord.

This is not only true for catechists but for every baptized catholic on Earth. When we work on our love for God, we’ll always influence those around us to love Him too. There would be less wars, less hatred, more love, more peace in the world.

At the altar of the mass, the love of Jesus transforms the bread and wine into his body and blood. At the altar of marriage, the love of Jesus transforms the man and woman into one body. At the ‘altar’ of the catechist’s classroom, the love of Jesus transforms hearts of stone into hearts of love.

Blessed Saviour, source of all life,
We are beginning a new calendar year,
And it offers me a chance to begin anew with those I teach.
My New Year’s resolution is
To be a more enthusiastic catechist.

But how can I carry through?
What can I possibly say or do
To make the time worthwhile
For the children you have placed in my care?
Warm me up, please,
With the fire of your presence.
Touch my reluctant heart
And be with me as I try
To touch the hearts of your ‘little ones’
With my own joy and enthusiasm.

With you, dear savior
I can do all things.
Without you I can do nothing.
Come along with me to every class
And be our ‘unseen guest’,
The one who lights the way
For the children and me
With great joy and enthusiasm.
Amen.

Taken from ‘A Prayerbook for Catechists’

Hope this is fruitful read for you =p

Love,
Ben

Things I learnt over the New Year

2009-01-02T10:32:00.002+08:00

Just wana share with everyone 2 valuable things I learnt =)

I attended Mass at olps on New Year and the Bishop was reading the Pope's msg to us. What I got from it was that to bring peace to the World, let us do it by helping the poor develop..or something along those lines =p Not just those financially poor, those poor in character, poor in faith...

The other thing I learnt was from the visitors and my Dad on New Year's Eve...To work as if it was a service to God. I used to imagine how dreadful work could be..seeing sick pple, dying pple, annoying pple...all those paper work, politics n all...how could one ever even think of staying a second over time at such a horrid place called work! So now I c...now I understand. To truly care for every person I would meet..that would make my day's work a joyous miracle. I hope I would be able to do that when i start work next time. As for now...I gotta study hard for all those pple I need to care for in the future =p

Fran

Birthday Present for Jesus!

2008-12-13T17:59:00.003+08:00

We definitely had fun cleaning up and packing House of David today (and there's more to do tmr!) Guess what i read in next Sunday's first reading?! King David was thinking..“Here I am living in a house of cedar,while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” and God replied him..‘Then should you build me a house to dwell in?’ (2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16). Then now here I am thinking...cool...now that David built Jesus a house, here we are helping him keep it clean! I hope you like it Jesus...caz We sure built lots of muscles flipping those tables and fixing them and cleaning them. =p

I would just like to share with u some tots I had when I cleaned those tables. Some tables had my small dots and stains on them. Every time I managed to clean off one stain by using some cleaning agent and some of my might, I felt so happy and contented with myself. It might sound lame but I'm sure some of you felt the same way too haha! Then suddenly I thought of confession...imagine if cleaning a table could make a person happy, what joy it would be to clean a soul! Similar to the table with many stains, we are filled with many sins. Cleaning one stain off wouldn't make much difference to the whole table but if we put enough effort to clean off each small stain, the whole table would be sparkling clean! It would also be a much greater present to Jesus if we concentrated on cleaning our soul compared to cleaning a table. (though cleaning tables is a gd start =p )

Now we get to the fixing of the table leg! Yay there was at least one spoilt table leg that we got to have our fun on haha! Fixing table legs are definitely much tougher than cleaning table stains. It's a gd analogy to how some of our sins are quite major that it causes us to be broken. Such sins are tough to "fix". It was so tough to fix that Priscilla and I had to ask Marcus for help. Fortunately Marcus being a gd handy man taught us a skill of using a screwdriver and a mallet tgt haha! Guess wad..we girls can fix tables legs now too =p Anw my point is, some sins are tough to get out of and we need the help of others, and some times it needs to be a particular other person who has that skill or personality. Do not be afraid to ask for help esp if u think the person is up for it. =) We were made to help each other, no man is an island.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who came to help make this birthday present for Jesus, although its not fully done yet, I'm quite sure its going to be presentable to Jesus by tmr =p Charlene, Charlotte, Priscilla, Stephanie, Marcus and Chris...THANK YOU! Let's think of a special personal present (only u and u alone have this present)u can give to Jesus this Christmas =) if u need a clue...its bout preparing urself =p

Love,

Francesca

Bro Con's update to our previous "why do we go for Mass"

2008-09-19T13:15:00.002+08:00

Came to my mind that in the session that Ben gave on the Mass, I am not sure if I downplayed the importance of the Eucharist. Vatican II states that it is the source and summit the life and the mission of the church. Such is the importance of the Eucharist.
I want to bring to your mind again that the celebration of the eucharist is the re-presentation of the life and more importantly the death and sacrifice of Christ, and also his resurrection.
The priest, in the preparation of the gifts, will put a drop of water in to the wine. This is to signify the mingling of our humanity with the divinity of Christ and that we are one with him.
When the priest places his hands over the gifts and invokes the Holy Spirit to come down and make them into the body and blood of Our Lord, it is the celebration of his incarnation when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and she conceived the Lord.
The separate consecration of the bread, and then the wine signifies the celebration of his death as the body and blood is separated.
After the 'Lamb of God', when the priest breaks the bread, it represents the body of Christ broken for us and this is when he redeemed our sins as the sacrificial Lamb of God.
After that, the priest will break off a piece of the bread and drop it into the chalice. This represents the uniting of the body with the blood and we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord.
So you can see, the Eucharist is a celebration of the whole paschal mystery of the Lord Jesus.
Saying this, I also do not want to downplay the importance of the other sacraments as well. Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Matrimony and the Anointing of the Sick are important as well. We should not 'grade' the sacraments but see these as signs that the Lord has left for us to signify that he is still here with us.
Please forward this mail to your members and whoever else you think can benefit from this and feel free to email me of you or they should have any more queries or need any more clarification.
I remain with you Always in Christ

Cornelius Vianney Ching

Amplify Friday in the City!

2008-09-16T12:54:00.004+08:00

Man it was good! Leonard (the very anointed speaker), God bless you!

I'll share with you what I learnt from there. I encourage the rest to share how they felt too =)

There is so much insight to the 'woman at the well' story, which I never knew before!here goes..

Jn 4:1-30 (careful its not letter of Jn, its Gospel of Jn)

1.When Jesus heard the Pharisees had found out that he was making and baptising more disciples than John

2. though in fact it was his disciples who baptised, not Jesus himself

3. he left Judea and went back to Galilee.

So here we begin with Church politics...very common in our lives..imagine pple comparing the JCFC(Jesus Christ Fan Club) who is holding a huge party at sentosa and getting more members than the JBYM (John the Baptist youth ministry) who only have a small NTUC chalet party.

We totally miss the point sometimes, that we are all one, all Christians.

4.Jesus had to pass through Samaria.

Jesus made it sound like he had an appointment..of caz from Judea to Galilee, Samaria is the shortest route..but who every takes that route?! It's filled with disgusting Samaritans.

5. On the way he came to the Samaritan town called Sychar near the land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6. Jacob's well was there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the 6th hour. (in our terms..its 12 noon)

7. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water,

Now isn't this odd...y would one want to draw water at 12 noon when it was hottest?! Everyone tries to go when there's no sun, in the morning or evening. Either this woman is trying to beat the ERP charges and the mad rush, OR she is out to avoid meeting anyone. Why avoid? Maybe she is ashamed of herself or she is outcasted...we'll find out later.

7. Jesus said to her, " Give me something to drink."

8. His disciples had gone into town to buy food.

9. The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew. How is it that you ask me, a Samaritan for something to drink?" Jews, of course, do not associate with Samaritans.

The background of why Jews do not associate with Samaritans is because Jews are considered the pure race, while Samaritans were Jews who intermarried with other people who entered the country. The Jews hated the Samaritans also bcoz they had other gods. So she was considered the lowest of the low since she was not only a Samaritan but also a woman (the lesser of the two sexes) so she was very shocked how come Jesus even talked to her..and even asked her for a favour.

10. Jesus replied "If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you: 'Give me a drink', you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given tou living water."

11. "You have no bucket, sir", she answered " and the well is deep, how could you get this living water?

12.Are you a greater man than our father Jacob who gave is this well and drank from it himself with his sons and his cattle?"

Over here, Jesus is telling her, if you knew I was the Son of God, and what eternal life God wants to grant you, you would not care about this water, you would ask me to give u that eternal life!

Unfortunately, all of us... like the woman, do not get it that quickly. She thinks of material things...does not get the drift of what Jesus is offering her. "So without the bucket you can get water?! how? Oh i know...ur from PUB right?!"

13. Jesus replied "Whoever drinks this water will get thirsty again;

14. but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again. The water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life."

15. "Sir," said the woman "give me some of that water, so that I may never get thristy and never have to come here again to draw water."

Yea...this woman sorta half half gets it but not quite...she is thinking...I dun wana be thirsty again...So you mean you have pipes that lead to my house and I can get water by just turning the tap?! Way cool and convenient! I want! Help me install!

16. "Go and call your husband" said Jesus to her " and come back here."

Jesus knows she yearns for salvation, but He needs to heal her first before she can accept this salvation. To heal her, he has to touch her wound...a very deep wound...

17. The woman answered, "I have no husband".

18. He said to her, "You are right to say that you have no husband for although u had 5, the one you have now is not your husband. You spoke the truth there".

Ouch. (guess she is avoiding pple caz of this) Jesus sure poked her open wound really hard. However he acknowledges her honesty.

19. "I see that you are a prophet, sir" said the woman.

20. "Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, while you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship"

21-24. Jesus said: "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know; for salvation comes from the Jews. But the hour will come- in fact it is here already- when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; that is the kind of worshipper the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth"

Now the woman understands better, that he sure is some1 great, how else could this stranger know my dirty background so well! Then she admits that they have not been following the right paths. Jesus tells her, no matter, if u start now to worship the right God with truth and in spirit, you will be saved. Jesus looks past the sin n sees us for what we really are. He comes at any hour, He doesn't wait for us to get our act together..He comes to heal us.

The Spirit is the one who makes a new creature of man.

Worship "In truth" because that is the only worship that meets the conditions of God revealed by Jesus.

25. The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah-that is, Christ- is coming; and when he comes he will tell us everything".

26. "I who am speaking to you," said Jesus, "I am he."

This woman dares not trusts all he says... so she tells him that Christ is coming and when he comes he will tell us everything. implying that there is no need to tell me so much now for I dun even know you.

To her surprise...The Son of God is speaking to her now! So she better believe it!

27. At this point the disciples returned, and were surprised to find him speaking to a woman, though none of them asked "what do u want from her?" or "why are u toking to her?!"

28. The woman put down her water jar and hurried back to the town to tell the people

29. "Come and see a man who has told me everything i ever did; I wonder if he is the Christ?"

30. This brought pple out of town and the started walking towards Him.

Wonderful news is that the woman has been healed. Remember that she was trying her best to avoid everyone...but now, she runs towards the town where there are many people! And she is even so brave to tell everyone that she has met Christ! urges them to go c 4 themselves!

More wonderful news is that if u read on, many more pple believed in Jesus because of this woman =)

There is more to this story than just that...Leonard tells us that this story shows us what sin is...to fill the hole in your heart, the yearning of your soul with pleasures and satisfaction..but not God =( and sin...is addictive, worse still it kills you without you even knowing it.

I hope this sharing has helped you =)

Love,

Fran

Why do we go 4 Mass?

2008-06-01T18:32:00.002+08:00

As teens, it is inevitable that we will ask oursleves one day "Why must we go for mass? It's the same thing every week!". I got my answers today at the monthly YM session. We were grateful to have Benedict Luo sharing with us in this session and God also sent a helper, Brother Cornellius =) .

Anw, Ben had a very good point that the mass procedure is the same every week but every mass is different, not only coz the readings and sermons are different but it is what we bring to Jesus that day that is different. It then made me reflect that mass is a communal prayer, of caz we can pray at home and ya,God is everywhere, but that is personal prayer. There is a reason why we are a Church, because we come together as a community to pray. Every week we have gone thru a different thing from the last therefore we bring different prayer intentions to God, we bring different sorrows and pain to ask Jesus to heal.

So just interpretations of some impt words...The word "Mass" comes from the Latin word "Missa" which means send off. This implies that we are sent off to proclaim the Good News of God, to live it out in our daily lives, to be witnesses of Christ.

Consecration unites the past, present, future, the heaven and earth. How beautiful, impossible to us but possible to God.

The word "Eucharist" means thanksgiving. So, we ought to be happy and be thankful during Mass because we get to hear the special msg from God himself. However this might not always be the case...some of us think Mass is a bore and a chore. Aptly, Ben and Bro Con shared with us the deeper meanings and actions in Mass that helped us to appreciate the Mass more.

Did you know...?

All 33 years of Jesus' life is summarized in our 1 hr Mass!

During the blessing of the gifts (offertory) where the priest says, " Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth have given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life." This is Jesus' birth. The Passion and death of our Lord is then reenacted in the Eucharistic Prayer. Interestingly, when the priest breaks the host, he places a small piece back into the chalice together with the wine. This indicates that the body and blood of Jesus is reunited thus resurrected. (In Jewish customs, death is when the blood and body separates.)

Another interesting fact about Jesus. He died before the soldier could break his knees and pierced him by his side. As Br. Con explained, when you are hanging on the cross, to take a breath in one would have to push himself up with his legs so that the rib cage could elevate. Therefore, by breaking their knees, it would actualy kill them by suffucation. However, Jesus was not killed by the soldier, He choose to die for us. He said "Father into your hands I commend my Spirit".

Q&A

1. Why can't we eat 1hr before communion?

This is called Eucharistic Fast. This is to prepare ourselves so that we can be empty and absorb all we can of Jesus. It's just like how you do not drink coke, then eat a sweet...you cant taste the sweetness of the sweet. You do not want other food to interfere with the "taste" of Jesus.

2. What do we say/do when the whole church is kneeling down and quiet after communion?

Yes, it is tempting to take a seat and start talking to the friend next to you or read the bulletin. However, as Br. Con puts it, after a good meal, all you wana do is rest and enjoy the satisfaction. Same with communion, we should enjoy the presence of our Lord in ourselves. No need to have any words for prayers, just plain silence and adoration.

3. Why do we make the sign of the cross?

It is blessing ourselves and also to remind us of our baptism. We were cleansed of our sins at baptism.

4. Why do we make the sign of the cross on our foreheads, mouths and chest before the Gospel is read?

It is to signify that we want God to be in our thoughts whenever we think, on our lips when ever we talk and in our hearts whenever we feel.

We had many more questions during the session and these are just the gist of it. I hope this would help you appreciate the Mass more. If you are interested in knowing more, here are some web sites to check out =) do share with us cool websites and stuff if u find any!

http://www.frtommylane.com/homilies/other_homilies/mass_explanation.htm

http://www.threeinonegod.com/mass.htm

A TEENAGER'S VIEW OF HEAVEN

2008-03-25T12:12:00.003+08:00

A very thought provoking email I received.
Take a while to read it till the end. (:

17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class.
The subject was what Heaven was like. 'I wowed 'em,' he later told his father,
Bruce. 'It's a killer. It's the bomb. It's the best thing I ever wrote..' It
also was the last.

Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after Memorial
Day. He was driving home from a friend's house when his car went off
Bulen-Pierce Road in Pickaway County and struck a utility pole. He emerged from
the wreck unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted.

The Moores framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung it among the family
portraits in the living room. 'I think God used him to make a point. I think we
were meant to find it and make something out of it,' Mrs. Moore said of the
essay. She and her husband want to share their son's vision of life after death.
'I'm happy for Brian. I know he's in heaven. I know I'll see him.'

Brian's Essay: The Room...
In that place between wakefulness and
dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except
for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in
libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these
files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either
direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the
first to catch my attention was one that read 'Girls I have liked.' I opened it
and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that
I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew
exactly where I was.

This lifeless room with its small files was a crude
catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment,
big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and
curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening
files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a
sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see
if anyone was watching.

A file named 'Friends' was next to one marked
'Friends I have betrayed.' The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright
weird 'Books I Have Read,' 'Lies I Have Told,' 'Comfort I have Given,' 'Jokes I
Have Laughed at .' Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: 'Things I've
yelled at my brothers.' Others I couldn't laugh at: 'Things I Have Done in My
Anger', 'Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents.' I never ceased
to be surprised by the contents.

Often there were many more cards than I
expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of
the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to
fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed
this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my
signature.

When I pulled out the file marked 'TV Shows I have watched',
I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed
tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I
shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I
knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked 'Lustful
Thoughts,' I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an
inch, not willing to test its size and drew out a card. I shuddered at its
detailed content.

I felt sick to think that such a moment had been
recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No
one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy
them!' In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had
to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding
it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and
pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning
my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.

And
then I saw it.. The title bore 'People I Have Shared the Gospel With.' The
handle was brighter than those around it,seemed newer, almost unused. I pulled
on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my
hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the
tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my
stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of
shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled
in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it
up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.

No,
please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began
to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And
in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper
than my own.

He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He
have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room.
He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me.
I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He
walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He
didn't say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back
to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and,
one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. 'No!' I shouted
rushing to Him. All I could find to say was 'No, no,' as I pulled the card from
Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so
rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His
blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the
cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next
instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side.

He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, 'It is finished.' I stood
up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were
still cards to be written.

'I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.'-Phil. 4:13 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only
son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.' If
you feel the same way forward it so the love of Jesus will touch their lives
also My 'People I shared the gospel with' file just got bigger, how about yours?

Oolong Tea

2008-01-15T00:43:00.000+08:00

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed Oolong tea. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the Oolong out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked,

"Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and Oolong tea," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the Oolong. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The Oolong tea was unique, however. After they were in the boiling water , they had changed the water color and taste.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a Oolong tea?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the Oolong tea? The tea actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the tea, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a Oolong tea?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

YISS: Everlasting God

2007-11-07T12:45:00.000+08:00

Youth In the Spirit Seminar (December)

This is a 4days stay-in camp (6-9Dec) organised by Amplify Ministry @ CSC(next to Nativity Church), specially for youths aged between 16 to 35.

Renew your faith with Him at this retreat! (:

The retreat cost $40, which includes meals, materials and the t-shirt! It may seem a little steep but its gonna be worth it! (:

Ask your non-catholic friends who are interested in knowing more about God too! Both Catholics and non-catholics are very very much welcomed!

You can contact Lydia/Anne Marie from Amplify or email them directly your registration at youthinthespiritseminar@gmail.com with your particulars in this order:

Name (Ms/Mr):
Address:
Age:
Ic.no:
Tel (Home&Hp):
Email:
Parish:(if not applicable, just leave blank)
T-shirt size: XS/S/M/L/XL

2007-10-04T01:45:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday to our dearest Fran!

Jesus

2007-08-24T02:16:00.000+08:00

"God speaks in the silence of the heart.

Listening is the beginning of prayer. "

Conference on Life in the Spirit Seminar (LISS)

2007-08-06T18:25:00.000+08:00

My reflections on this conference tt happened on 4 & 5 Aug 2007. The first day was a struggle to get thru the day man! To me, the first session was dry, but as i continued to listen to the 2nd session, i learnt new things. If not for Angele, would not be there on the second day...n the 2nd day was much more interesting in terms of content. This might get a lil lengthy caz I'm summarising 18 hrs worth of the conference into this tiny lil page...haha!k to be truthful, i think i only caught 4 hrs worth of it..so Angele can share her experience too so u'll get a fuller understanding.

The theme for this year's LISS is 'As by a New Pentecost'. As we all know, Pentecost is the day when the disciples experienced the Holy Spirit. As Fr. Gino explained, having a God experience is different from having a Baptism in the Holy Spirit. A personal God experience might change ur life, we look at things differently after that. You may have more than one God experience but the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is when YOU give God that promise of surrendering ur all to HIM, a definitive YES! to everything He wants u to do. The thought of what I want to do fades off and in every single little thing, we seek God's advice. At this point, I gotta admit, i have had a few God experiences but i have not given Him the definitive YES! yet but I'm striving towards it...slowly...in my own lil ways. I encourage you to do so too =) caz God loves us so much, i just feel I owe Him something...i mean..EVERYTHING!

Basically the definitive YES! requires my obedience/ submission to Him, and my prayers (I just realised how impt this is, n I'm so guilty of not praying deeply enough.I usually treat prayer as a sleeping pill..say already sure fall asleep one. well tt jus goes to show my spiritual level ain't to high...tts y im working on it).

As for the gifts of the Holy Spirit...they are cool! n its a WOW! experience when you get them but Fr. Gino was warning us that as time passes, we tend to use these gifts, neither for the good of others, nor to glorify God but we use it to show off, or get power, then we get arrogant and proud and all so yeah...Fr. Gino calls this spiritual warfare. One example is that when we read the Bible n all we think we know better than the priest so we either not listen in mass or we think the priest is talking bullshit. so he reminds us not to succumb to the attractions of the world, and he assures us that God is with us to fight off all these but we ourselves must be prepared.

The interesting thing i learnt on the first day was where my spiritual level is at...i shy to tell u what my is la but here are the 2 general levels: the feeling level, and the spirit level. Feeling level refers to when we feel holy then we do good but when we dun feel tt God is close then we stray. so eg when we sin, we go 4 confession then we feel all gd again so for a while we keep away from tt sin. but when temptation comes we fall back into tt sin , n we feel all horrible again then we go 4 confession again...we end up repeating our sins caz we do not have on going repentence. this leads to the sin becoming a habit and then its a sin attitude, lastly it becomes complusion.
Spirit level would be when we are able to use the gifts for the glory of God no matter how far away we feel we are from God. n a tis level, u wud have a love for scripture and u are open to share the faith with others. I think this is the gist of a new Pentecost, where we receive the gifts and we go out to evangelise.

Qn we reflected on day 1:
1. Have I fully surrendered my life to Jesus whereby He is the center of my life?
-Do I consult Him in everything I do?
-Do I do what He wants me to do or what I want to do?

2. Do I pray deeply in the Spirit?
-Do I have intimacy with God in my prayers?
-How much time do I spend each day in prayer?
-Is my prayer time more than the time i spend with my loved ones?
-Do I strive to make it better?

3.Do I have the hunger for the Word of God?

Hope these questions will help you reflect on ur spiritual life =)
and Day 2...

In us, we have our emotions, our mind and our inner being( this is where God dwells).
when we have a God experience, it vibrates thru our body, if affects our emotions and our mind. we feel at peace and we mature. anw, Fr. Gino was trying to explain to us how immature and mature actions work thru our mind, emotions and our inner being. this is a simple eg ...when someone is late for a meeting ur in charge of...

immature: emotion-we feel angry
mind- y is he always late? scold!

mature: inner being-keep calm, pple have their reasons for being like that
emotions- trying to cool down
mind- dun scold...smile and welcome the person.

eventually the person might feel guilty tt u din scold him n he will apologize...haha! if not he'll still think ur nice..n he'll wonder y? hopefully he'll find out tt its the God in u tt makes u so nice.

therefore being guided by the inner being will lead u to maturity. come to think of it...maybe tts y i get irritated so easily some times...i chucked my inner being away somewhere...

Day2 Qn: What was my God experience and how did that change my life?

The purpose of LISS is to help pple b more aware of the Holy Spirit.
they also gave some tips on how to conduct a LISS on our own...n well i gtg eat now...they actually have a manual on how to conduct LISS. Anw..Angele i really think this is not even half of what they tried to impart to us, so u can continue =) thanks! =p

Fran =)

hmmmmm......

2007-07-23T21:04:00.000+08:00

God is like assam in Kiam Chye Ark. It's the one ingredient that brings it all together. Without it, the dish will be flat and not palatable.

Prayer can exist in every aspect of one's life. It is most often recognized in its verbal form, but is most potent when the heart speaks it.

Faith is trust without eyes, ears or tongue.

I pray for patience, tolerence and understanding because to me that is what God is.

-Leo

Yesterday's Homily @ QOP

2007-07-23T13:44:00.000+08:00

In order for a ministry to be successful, you'll need PRAYER.
Prayers are powerful..... do not stop praying.
How much do we have to pray? "An hour a day is a good start" said Father
"and you'll see the wonders of prayer very soon...."

~ zer ~

Bible Verse of the Day

2007-07-06T15:39:00.000+08:00

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

- Psalm 37:5-6 (NIV)-

with love, angele

Luke 10:17-20

2007-07-04T12:10:00.000+08:00

The Return of the Seventy

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

signing off, angele

UPCOMING EVENTS!

2007-07-02T15:42:00.000+08:00

7 JULY 2007 (SAT) - Youth Rally! at EXPO HALL 1B. CAYC brings you a youth rally that will bring youths (confirmants) all around Singapore together in one place to worship and praise God as one! Do feel free to come and join the confirmants from QOP church, just contact any of us by email : savioyouthministry.gmail.com

Conference on Youth LISS brought to you by Saccre Youth. If you want to experience God and deepen your faith or want to know about the charamastic side of the Catholic faith. Do attend this conference, where your doubts will be answered! Details are in the poster below, just click on it to enlarge it. Anything just look for us at the cabin or you can email us or contact Angele: 98621172.

youth fellowship gig! =)

2007-02-06T11:50:00.000+08:00

heyz everyone! 16 feb is going to be a damn fantastic n happening nite =) we got 5 youth bands coming down to qop to play contemporary music more towards the rock genre...so come on down to experience the fun n enjoy the talents God gave to these youngesters! they r going to rock your world! spread the news to ur confi frens n have an old class reunion =) we got food n drinks. tix r selling at the door at only $4...hse of david 4.1
c ya dere =) cheers!
Fran

Updates about ym activities

2007-01-10T13:07:00.000+08:00

Hello youths,
Since our last meeting(7th Jan 2007), we have decided that YM meetings shall be held on every 1st and 3rd sunday of the month immediately after the 10.30am mass. Please do take note of this and try your best to attend the meetings with an open mind.
As for our cabin, it has once again become a store room after a short period of about 6 mths or so. Thus, there will be a Cabin Clean-up this Sunday(14th Jan 2007) immediately after the 10.30am mass. Please do come and help out as we would not only like to enjoy the comforts of a clean cabin in a shorter time but also we would like to take this opportunity as a chance to get to know each other better and strengthen our bonds.
For those who do not know, Young Adults Prayer Gathering is held every Thursday at 8pm in church (usually house of david). This is a session where we gather with other members of the Church to reflect on a Bible reading and later share our thoughts. It will be led by an elected facillitator who happens to be our dear Francesca for this week (tomorrow, 11th Jan 2007). Due to her ending work late, tomorrow's gathering will be pushed back to 8.30pm. Do try to attend these sessions as you will certainly benefit from them.
That's it for now. Bye!!

P.S. Alex please remember to fix our cabin lights

A short passage

2006-12-15T01:08:00.000+08:00

I thought it would be nice to share this passage that was done during the prayer gathering just now..

The Inner Conflict within us..
Romans 7:14-25

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

everyone has their own inner conflict, a conflict between what is right in the eyes of Law of the Church and what actually is decided and done by ourselves. I am sure there are many a times when we know what should be done, yet we ourselves do the direct opposite. So this passage reflects what happens to us in our daily lives.
Just think abt it.

2006-12-12T09:28:00.000+08:00

Calling out for all those interested in hospitality!
An Internship Programme is now available from the following institution(s)

Guilford School of Hospitality
We are now offering places for the prestigious Tanglin Club and other hospitality establishments.
Get sponsored for an International Diploma, earn an allowance while being employed and be on your way for a global career!

For enquries and registration, do call 6445 0220 or SMS to 979 23692
Email: mgmcoslt@singnet.com.sg

'We train with passion and produce the best results' - Milton Monterio, Head Trainer

Do not hesitate! Call today.

Entry Requirements

Passion to work in the hospitality industry
Basic spoken English
12 month internship program commitment
New entrants to the Industry are welcome
NS Deferment applicable
"N" or "O" Level applicants welcome

Guilford School of Hospitality (MOE Registered School)

79 Anson Road #01-02 S(079906)

2006-12-12T09:06:00.000+08:00

Savio YM AGM

Hello one and all! Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Saturday 16 December 2006 at 7pm right after our evening garage sales. After which we will dine at parkway to catch up! The following will be addressed;

i. Review of year's events
ii. Update from various departments
iii. Suggestions/Improvements on current admin practice
iv. Renewal/undertaking of office appointment bearers
v. Events planning for next quarter year (Jan-Mar07)

All are invited. PCC is aware of this and may visit and observe.
________________________________________________________________________

Present Roll of Honour for Savio YM as at 16 Dec 06

Spiritual Directorate
Director: Bro Damian Tay

Mentor Department
Legendary Mentor: Mr Milton Monterio
Minister Mentor: Ms Zerline Tan
Senior Mentor: Mr Robin Chua

PR Directorate
Director: Mr Alex Chong

Finance Directorate
Director: Mr Andrew Low
Manager: Mr Benedict Khoo

Operations Directorate
Director: Mr Ian Teo
Manager: Mr Nicholas Khoo
Manager: Ms Francesca Tan

Joint Associations
SJC
Associate: Ms Angele Low
Associate: Ms Grace Lee

CCD (QOP)
Associate: Mr Joseph Tey

Freelance Consulate
Ms Dawn Lee

Honourary Members & Ordinary Members (Not Mentioned)

SAVIO STEALS CHRISTMAS! - Garage sale of the year!

2006-12-12T00:41:00.000+08:00

Do join us to sell or simply buy!
All proceeds go to charity. Let us all share in this spirit of giving!

A time to reflect: Tree of Life

2006-08-25T02:02:00.000+08:00

The vine and the branches
John 15:1-6

'I am the true vine and my Father is the vinegrower. If any of my branches doesn't bear fruit, he breaks it off; and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit. You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you; live in me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you if you do not remain in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain in me is thrown away as they do with branches when they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.'

This part of John's gospel reminds us that we are part of our Lord. Many parts, one body. However the analogy here is a plant, or tree if you may. As long as we stay rooted in his teachings and Love, we will always be part of the vine and bear fruit - to recieve nutrients from him and provide sweet Spirit food for others.

Cheers & God Bless
ian

2006-08-24T12:14:00.000+08:00

Assumption Dinner at Qian Xi Restaurant - 15/8/06

2006-08-24T12:03:00.000+08:00

Benedict's 18th birthday.. celebrated in CineLeisure at Cafe Cartel, with AIA, F&N, and angele. :)
Hope you enjoyed yourself that day!!

*photos are not in sequence!

2006-08-18T14:42:00.000+08:00

Welcome to Savio Youth Ministry's launch of its blog!

Its a place where all of you can come together to have sharings, post up pictures and so on. In time to come, this blog will be announced to the congregation of QOP so that youths from all over will know about us and what we do. This blog will then be an avenue where future events/activities will be updated online.

Have fun and enjoy.
Comments please tag on the board.
If u want to make any changes, you can drop me an email, sms me or tag on the board, then I see what I can do. If u are tech-savvy, you can even do it yourself!

See ya all soon,
angele